The present invention concerns computing systems and pertains particularly to providing information to a user about shortcuts available from the keyboard.
Keyboards for computing systems generally have special keys such as a control (Ctrl) key and an alternate (Alt) key. Applications which run on the computing system often allow a user to initiate special functions when the user presses the special keys in combination with certain other keys on the keyboard for the computing system. For example, many word processors initiate a "Copy" function when the user presses and holds the Ctrl key and then presses the letter "c" on the keyboard. Selecting other combinations of special keys and other keys can also be used to, for example, start macros, provide for a shortcut to type often used phrases and so on.
For common graphics user interfaces (GUI), commands are designed to be primarily selected by a user using a point selection device. For this reason there is often extensive help built into the GUI to provide help to a user to aid the user in initiating commands using a "point and select" methodology. For example, in many applications which run on the Windows 95 operating system available from Microsoft Corporation, a user can place a cursor over a tool, typically with a mouse, on a tool bar. After the cursor remains over the tool bar for a few seconds, a hint pops up which gives information about the tool. Similar functionality is implemented as "Balloon Help" in the Macintosh operating system available from Apple Corporation. Within operating systems and program applications which utilize GUI interfaces, initiating special functions when the user presses the special keys in combination with certain other keys on the keyboard for the computing system are considered alternate or "shortcut" forms of initiating the functions. Because these are alternate or "shortcut" forms of initiating the functions the various key combinations of special keys and other keys on the keyboard used to invoke functions are often poorly documented. To use special keys to initiate functions generally requires a user to memorize each special key combination. Since most users can only conveniently memorize a limited number of frequently used special key combinations, this has limited the special key combinations users can efficiently use. This requires the user to utilize the more cumbersome "point and select" methodology for most functions.